Apply for New York State grants and scholarships

The easiest way to apply for TAP is through the FAFSA. New York State residents attending NYS schools can link directly to the TAP application from the FAFSA submission confirmation page. 

If you exited the FAFSA before completing the TAP application – and you filled in your New York State address and a New York State college on the FAFSA – the Higher Education Services Corporation will automatically receive your information in about three days. HESC will then send you an email or postcard with directions to complete the TAP application online. 

TAP recipients who wish to receive continuing payments must apply each year to verify that they continue to meet the program’s eligibility requirements. If eligible to receive federal student aid, TAP recipients must also annually complete the FAFSA. 

Students newly applying for New York State financial aid under the provisions of the DREAM Act must first apply for eligibility under the NYS DREAM Act before applying for TAP. If you have previously qualified under the NYS DREAM Act, you will simply need to add a new application to apply for TAP.  

Part-time TAP helps eligible New York residents attending in-state postsecondary institutions on a part-time basis pay for tuition. Part-time TAP is not the same as Aid for Part-time Study, which is explained later on this page. 

To be eligible for Part-time TAP, you must meet all the eligibility requirements for TAP. To apply, complete and submit the FAFSA and TAP applications. 

At UAlbany, enrollment in the summer term is always considered accelerated study.  

To receive TAP for accelerated study, you must have passed at least 24 credits in the prior fall and spring terms while enrolled in a UAlbany degree program, in addition to meeting general TAP eligibility criteria.  

The 24 credits must have been earned at UAlbany and be applicable to your program of study, meaning transfer credits cannot be used to meet this requirement. However, the equivalent of three credits in non-credit remedial hours for each semester can be included to meet the 24-credit requirement. 

To receive TAP for full-time accelerated study, you must be enrolled for at least 12 credits applicable to your program of study. 

To receive TAP for half-time accelerated study, you must be enrolled full-time in an approved program in New York State during the prior spring semester to be eligible. 

You must be enrolled at least half-time (6 credits for undergraduate students) to receive TAP for the summer term. Students with disabilities are eligible for a partial TAP award if they are enrolled in at least 3 credits, meet all other TAP eligibility requirements and are registered with Disability Access and Inclusion Student Services. 

Effect on future TAP awards 

Using summer TAP counts toward the total number of payments you may receive. As a result, you could exhaust your TAP eligibility before completing your academic program.

You can receive up to eight semesters of TAP as an undergraduate student. EOP participants are eligible for 10 semesters of TAP as an undergraduate student.  

A half-time summer TAP award (6 to 11 credits) will use a half-semester of your TAP eligibility. A full-time summer TAP award (12 or more credits) will use a full semester of your eligibility. 

You also must meet New York State’s academic requirements at the end of the summer term to be eligible for TAP in subsequent terms or semesters. 

If you have questions regarding how summer TAP may affect your financial aid, please contact Student Financial Services at [email protected] or 518-442-3202. 

The TAP application deadline is June 30 of the academic year for which aid is sought. 
 

Students must meet several program requirements set by the state to be eligible to receive an Excelsior Scholarship.

For example, students whose other grants and scholarships total more than tuition, minus fees, won’t receive an Excelsior Scholarship because the award covers tuition, and students who did not earn a total of 30 credits per year toward their degree without a break in enrollment are also ineligible.  

Visit the Higher Education Services Corporation (HESC) website for program requirements.

New applicants must appeal their disqualification with HESC directly.

Prior Excelsior recipients who do not meet the annual credit or continuous enrollment requirements due to one of the conditions indicated below may appeal their disqualification with the UAlbany Office of Financial Aid. Circumstances other than those listed below cannot be considered.

• You experience the death of an immediate family member.

• You are called to active military duty.

• You interrupt your studies to take care of your newborn child (parental leave).

• Your medical or health care provider determines that your medical condition or mental health prevents you from beginning or continuing the term or from continuing a full-time course load.

• You interrupt your studies to care for an immediate family member whose medical or heath care provider has determined to need additional support or care, which impacts your ability to begin or continue the term or from continuing a full-time course load.

Contact Student Financial Services at [email protected] or 518-442-3202 for more information.

The Excelsior Tuition Credit is an institutional credit. This financial aid award is limited to Excelsior Scholarship recipients. It is awarded only in the amount to cover the tuition charge, minus fees, after all other grants and scholarships (including the Excelsior Scholarship) have been applied. Here are three examples: 

Example No. 1: Full Excelsior Award 

Example No. 2: Partial Excelsior Award 

Example No. 3: No Excelsior Award 

To request an APTS application and instructions, please email [email protected]. Use "APTS" as the email subject line and include your name and UAlbany ID number the body of your email.  

Attach a signed photocopy of all required student and, if applicable, parent New York State Tax Returns to your APTS application. (Required documents will be listed in the instructions sent to students via email.) Failure to include the required New York State tax returns will result in processing delays and/or reduction of your APTS award. 

Please submit your application and attachments to the Office of Financial Aid. Please feel free to contact our office at [email protected] or 518-442-3202 with any questions. 

Note: For the protection of your information, students and parents are advised not to send documents with private information such as tax data, social security numbers or citizenship verification via email.  

The Child Welfare Worker Incentive Scholarship Program grants awards for child welfare workers employed at voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agencies licensed by the NYS Office of Children and Family Services (OCFS).

Recipients must agree to live in NYS and work at a voluntary not-for-profit child welfare agency licensed by OCFS for five years after graduation, and can use the award to get a bachelor’s or graduate degree for not more than four years or two years, respectively. 

The Masters-in-Education Teacher Incentive Scholarship Program provides 500 top undergraduate students full graduate tuition awards annually to pursue their Masters in Education at a SUNY institution.

To be eligible, a student must be enrolled full-time in a master's degree in education program and agree to teach in a New York State public elementary or secondary school for five years following completion of their degree.

The Math and Science Teaching Incentive Scholarship provides grants to eligible full-time undergraduate or graduate students in approved programs that lead to math or science teaching careers in secondary education. 

The STEM Incentive Program provides awards for full-time study up to the annual tuition charged to New York State resident students attending an undergraduate program at the State University of New York (SUNY), or actual tuition charged, whichever is less, for the top 10 percent of students in each New York State high school if they pursue a STEM degree in a bachelor's degree program and agree to work in a STEM field in New York State for five years after graduation. 

Scholarships for Academic Excellence are awarded to outstanding graduates from registered New York State high schools. Awards are based on student grades in certain Regents exams and are for up to five years of undergraduate study in New York State. 

The Segal AmeriCorps Education Award is provided to New York State residents who have successfully completed their term of service with an approved AmeriCorps program.